Higher exposures in the food sector

Constant relubrication of metallic bearing points in the food industry costs time, money and increases the risk of contamination. Maintenance-free Igubal spherical plain bearings from Igus are an economical and safe alternative. Now the motion plastics specialist is introducing a new variant for higher loads. It is equipped with a stainless steel housing, a self-lubricating polymer inner ring and a stainless steel spherical cap. This allows higher-load applications to be converted to future-proof tribo technology.

Rod ends are an indispensable part of machine and plant construction for the food industry. They are used everywhere, from bottling plants and meat processing machines to packaging plants, where they transmit dynamic forces in swivelling, tilting and rotating movements. The heads have to be relubricated to guarantee low-friction movement between the sliding ring and the spherical cap. A job that is not only time-consuming, but also increases the risk of contamination. This is because dirt and dust easily form sticky coatings and solid lumps. "In order to relieve food processing companies and at the same time improve hygiene in their moving applications, we have expanded our range of Igubal rod ends," explains Igus product manager Thomas Preißner. "The new plastic-metal hybrid consists of a housing and ball spherical cap made of steel and an inner ring made of the FDA- and EU 10/2011-compliant high-performance plastic Iglidur A160."

Hygienic dry running thanks to microscopic solid lubricants

As with all Iglidur plastics, Iglidur A160 contains a solid lubricant that is released in microscopically small quantities over time. It ensures low-friction dry running between the inner ring and the stainless steel calotte. The absence of lubrication also speeds up the cleaning of the rod ends considerably. Because without grease, dirt and dust hardly have a chance to settle. To further increase food safety, the high-performance plastic Iglidur A160 is blue. A colour on which food residues and mould spores can be quickly detected during cleaning inspections. In addition, the colour is optically detectable. "This high level of hygiene is also confirmed by the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which follows one of the strictest hygiene guidelines in the world," says Preißner. "So does conformity with the EU 10/2011 directive."

Not only clean, but also robust

However, the new Igubal products are not only hygienic, but also robust, even when used outdoors. They have a higher breaking strength and rigidity compared to a plastic rod end. In addition, they are resistant to moisture, acids, alkalis and UV rays and are suitable for temperatures between -40 °C and +90 °C. The abrasion resistance of Iglidur A160 is also better than that of polyamide by a factor of 10 according to results in the Igus test laboratory - even with rapid rotational movements of the mounted shaft. Thomas Preißner: "Users can therefore significantly increase the reliability of their systems with a small investment." The new rod ends are available in the sizes M6, M8, M10, M12, M16 and M20.